HISTORY

Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish was established by the Redemptorists in 1923. The district assigned to the Redemptorists was originally under the care of the Oblate Fathers of St. Augustine. 

The boundaries drawn up by the Archdiocese of Vancouver were Balaclava Street on the east, Blanca Street on the west with the north-south boundaries being English Bay and 25th Avenue which in 1966 was moved to 20th Avenue. 

The original church was a modest shoebox structure located at 3425 West Broadway on what were the abandoned premises of a store. The interior was simple. It had an altar, sanctuary and sacristy, a confessional, organ and kitchen chairs for seats. Heating was supplied by two portable oil stoves. 
The search for a more suitable site was, however, already underway. It was in June 1924 that the present site on Crown and West 10th Avenue was secured from Crown Lands at a public auction. The area was encumbered with burnt-out tree stumps and brushwood but it was not long before it was all clear. Plans for the church were drawn up by September and a school was also earmarked for the site.

Many prayers and sheer hard work went into completing the church in just one year. Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church opened for Divine Services on 15 November 1925. The simple and elegant new building was designed to accommodate 250 people. This was widened to hold an additional 160 people in 1953 without radical changes to its design. 

The parish now has 1,200 registered families. The school was completed and opened in 1927.